Goldson definitely wasn’t a cover safety, but he didn’t have to be. I don’t think that was his job in this secondary. His job on the back-half was to be physical and play the qb’s eyes like he did in the playoff game against the Saints when he intercepted Drew Brees. Goldson’s job was to knock the ball loose and intimidated receivers. There were times when Goldson got caught out of position gambling, and other times when he missed tackles, but his weakness wasn’t coverage. He became an All Pro and Pro Bowler because of his physical style of play. He let us down in the playoffs gambling too much, and looking for the big INT or hit that would lead to a big payday. He got his payday; he didn’t get his ring.

Don’t kid yourself that Goldson’s much of a cover safety. His interceptions were almost all on overthrows and he got torched a number of times last year (against Atlanta and Baltimore come immediately to mind), and he blew coverages too often for a star; he is not a young Ed Reed. Goldson’s main talent was toughness, and the willingness to sacrifice his body for the big hit. I loved watching him, but Whitner wasn’t the only guy diving at ghosts in the Super Bowl.

The 49ers definitely could have used two other picks: Jesse Williams in the 5th and Jordan Poyer, the CB from Oregon State in the 7th.

But other than that, Baalke looks to have done very well. The Olympic star could surprise: he is a physical freak and stronger than anyone on the team, including Justin Smith; the fact that he played rugby is also a very good sign–it’s not as if he hasn’t tackled or chased down runners in traffic, and the added advantage of rugby is that those guys play both ways and athleticism and quickness are both vital.

Quite ignorant of you not to know the NFL rules.
Per the new Collective Bargaining Agreement
“Contract Length- Rookie contracts have a fixed and unaltered contract length. For rookies drafted in the first round their contract shall be four years with a Club option for a fifth year; for rookies drafted in rounds 2-7, their contract shall be four years, and undrafted rookies shall receive a three year deal”
When you think about it why would any rookie sign a longer contract that can be voided whenever the team feels like it?

]]>By: Spitbloodhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers/2013/04/27/baalke-harbaugh-excited-about-draft-crop-especially-lattimore/comment-page-1/#comment-118047
SpitbloodSun, 28 Apr 2013 07:50:04 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers/?p=12148#comment-118047Niner: Remember the old “chicken or the egg” debate about pass rush vs good coverage? What’s better? A good secondary or a good rush? I’ll take a good rush every damn day over good coverage. If you look at our secondary, you’ll see why we drafted the way we did.

I don’t think much of Nnamdi (although I like the spirit behind his recent deal with the 49ers), Rogers is on the decline, Culiver needs his head examined. Culliver’s comments will effect his game this year. T Brown is good, but not great. Whitner is a liability in coverage. And we now have a rookie starting FS. We better get after the qb, or Kaep better score a lot of points. Justin and Aldon injured during the playoffs showed Baalke the handwriting on the wall. Take away one, especially two rushers and our defense is vulnerable. So…. go get more pass rushers.

Think about the Bucs. They brought in a HOFer in Revis and an All Pro / Pro Bowler in Goldson, and they just drafted another corner. I understand the Bucs have a lot of equity tied up in their D line, but the Bucs are building their defense all wrong. It’ll be good enough to get them to the next tier (the playoffs), but it won’t get them into the Super Bowl unless their front seven hunts the qb. But that front seven isn’t scaring anyone….. yet. Give their insane head coach some time, though.

Aldon, Brooks, Patrick, Navarro, Justin and Ray? Now with Glenn Dorsey and the Tank? Honestly, that’s a pretty amazing front seven. And what if Dial and Lemonier pan out? Watch out!

I don’t think Fangio, Harbaugh and Baalke sat back and asked, “How do we beat Seattle?” I think they looked at an aging secondary that needs to be re-tooled over the next three years and thought, “We better get after the qb while we train-up some new secondary players.” Whitner, Rogers and Nnamdi will all need to be replaced in the next two years. This draft makes a lot of sense to me if you see rookie secondary players getting significant time in the next couple of years.. And Fangio said it himself – “Dial looks to have a lot of untapped pass rush potential.” For my money, though, the steal of this draft wasn’t Lattimore, or Dial…. it was Tank. I think he’ll be a beast for us. I hope the 49ers sign him to a long term deal — longer than the average rookie contract — but it’s doubtful they will. All ‘n all, great draft.

]]>By: harbingerhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers/2013/04/27/baalke-harbaugh-excited-about-draft-crop-especially-lattimore/comment-page-1/#comment-118044
harbingerSun, 28 Apr 2013 07:29:08 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers/?p=12148#comment-118044‘may not play in [2013]‘, right?
]]>By: snsf49loyalhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers/2013/04/27/baalke-harbaugh-excited-about-draft-crop-especially-lattimore/comment-page-1/#comment-118037
snsf49loyalSun, 28 Apr 2013 06:24:09 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers/?p=12148#comment-118037For last three days they have drafted with Seattle & Rams on their minds. hopefully, this time they will make Russel Wilson look silly. They are trying to make this defense as a fierce pass rushing defense.
]]>By: Ninerhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers/2013/04/27/baalke-harbaugh-excited-about-draft-crop-especially-lattimore/comment-page-1/#comment-118024
NinerSun, 28 Apr 2013 02:51:56 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers/?p=12148#comment-118024Pass rush always makes the secondary look better. Buddy Ryan created maybe the best defense ( or 2nd best if you remember the steel curtain before the pass rules changed) in the nfl because his secondary couldn’t cover. Having said that culliver and Rogers didn’t look good after cowboy went down. Asomugha will help . We get consistent pass rush we beat Seattle and St. Louis. We become a dominate pass rushing team, we win it all! Go 49er!
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